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Preeclampsia is absolutely, realistically, scary -- but I too found that understanding why courses of action were being recommended eased my fears. I wanted to know that the medical decisions I was making were actually the ones that supported my interests and values, and to do that I needed an explanation, an argument, for why Method A lowered my risks more than Method B.

I know they don't always have time to do very much of that, but that's the way my brain works.

quote:For me, I think the lack of information was scarier than the facts. It was a relief afterward to get statistics and details about PE here, and to talk to my new doctors about why different decisions might have been made, even to realize how much worse it could have been. My feelings were probably influenced by concerns re: medical care generally (family history of medical mistakes), but those last couple of months, I would have given anything to have had someone sit down (without looking at their watch, without one foot out the door) and say, "here is everything we know about the disease and your current symptoms. Here are the reasons I'm recommending XYZ, and here's why I feel it's the least risky course of action for you and baby." At the time, it felt like information was kept from us, and I've never felt more helpless.

I agree! And it's especially bad when you are completely blindsided by it and know almost nothing about it.

The OBs were too busy trying to save my life / brain to worry about talking to me at the time, but I kind of realised that (which does not help the fear). I remember them telling me "We are doing everything possible to reduce the risks" which did not reassure me at all. Another comment was they felt that they still had about 24 hours before I died (well, lets not wait until the very last minute...)

Having said that, my brief experience of being pregnant again after fulminating PE/ HELLP / stillbirth was that I was treated physically and emotionally as priority number 1, even at the high risk ante-natal clinic I attended. Not that being treated as the highest of high risk made me feel a lot better about it all, but it was the best that could be done.